1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game processing apparatus for performing area authentication of gaming information.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a gaming machine has been known which includes a card slot of a memory card storing gaming information, a gaming board, and a motherboard including RAM. The gaming board includes an authentication program for authenticating the gaming information and a preliminary authentication program for authenticating the authentication program. The gaming machine causes the RAM of the motherboard to store the authentication program for which the authentication has been completed by the preliminary authentication program. Subsequently, the gaming machine performs the authentication for the gaming information (see U.S. Patent Application, First Publication No. 2006/0240888).
Generally, gaming rules differ from one area to another where gaming machines are installed. For example, there is an area where gaming rules such as upper limits of awarding rates and bets are set to a player's advantage. Under such circumstances, it may be that some owners of casinos fraudulently obtain a memory card, which is originally employed by such an area of gaming rules advantageous to a player, so as to attract more players. Although the gaming machine disclosed in U.S. 2006/0240888 performs the authentication of the gaming information of a memory card, it is intended to protect against tampering of the memory card. Accordingly, if the gaming information that does not belong to a particular area undergoes the successful authentication, the memory card storing the gaming information of a different area can be used at the particular area.